good morning. will he come ashore? hurricane earl inches closer to the east coast, forcing the first mandatory evacuations this morning on north carolina's outer banks. al is live in the path of the storm. now it's time to turn the page. >> page turner in a prime time oval address. president obama announces the end of combat operations in iraqi. was it worth it? especially for the families who lost loved ones? this morning, vice president joe biden tackles that question. and the fight of his life after michael douglas brought

gasps on letterman when he announces he has advanced stage four throat cancer. but he hasn't lost his sense of humor. >> did they find it early enough for their liking? >> i sure as [ bleep ] hope so. >> in other words, he ask hoping for a full recovery "today"" wednesday, september 1st, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. >> good morning, everybody. this morning hurricane earl has weakened to a category 3 storm with top winds around 125 miles an hour, but it could strengthen again, it's expected to stay out over the open ocean before turning north and running up along the east coast. the big question is how close will it get, matt. >> yeah. millions of people would like to know the answer to that question as they wait in the path of the storm. al roker is on north carolina's

outer banks where the surf is already kicking up. we're going to get his forecast coming up in just a couple of minutes. out with the old and in with the new. this was what the oval office looked like before for president bush. now after a makeover, this is what it looks like with president obama. we will be getting some mix the views on that coming up. and the tennis competition here in new york city, andre agassi will be here this morning to talk about some of the reaction he's been getting to his explosive autobiography. >> first, let's turn to hurricane earl barreling thwart the united states. al is in kill devil's hill in north carolina's outer banks that could be getting hit pretty hard. al? >> reporter: as you mentioned, earl is a category 3 storm, but don't let that fool you, but it still has 120-mile-per-hour winds, it's 315 miles south/southeast of cape hatteras.

it's moving northwest at about 16 miles per hour. we have hurricane watches in effect up for most of the north carolina coast, these watches extending from surf city up to parramore island. tropical storm watches are going up as well later on. there are mandatory evacuations for ocracoke islands here on the barrier islands of north carolina coast. make no mistake, they are nervous about this, and they're watching it and they are getting ready for earl. as hurricane earl churns through the atlantic, the effects of the storm are already coming ashore. powerful waves and rip currents have lifeguards and beach patrols on alert up and down the eastern seaboard. >> the water is closed off to all swimming and wading. >> reporter: earl is tracking dangerously close to the east coast. the question is, will the storm veer off the predicted track and make landfall? >> any little deviation towards the west could mean the storm striking the coast or impacting the coast enough to require

evacuations. >> reporter: the threat comes as vacationers enjoy the final days of summer. evacuating isn't in their holiday plans. >> we're going to hang out and see what happens. >> it's all good. it's vacation. >> i love the beach, i'm not scared of it. >> reporter: here on the outer banks of north carolina, the locals remember hurricane isabel in 2003, it pummeled the island causing more than $400 million in damage. hatteras island is preparing for the worst. >> the only way out is highway 12 and we need to keep it open and that becomes a big factor in this decision whether you consider evacuation or not. >> reporter: the outer banks all the way to maine, hurricane planning is well underway. on gliled, experts are studying maps and planning evacuation routes. >> we are confident in our ocean city rescue gears.

>> reporter: in ocean city, new jersey, fire and rescue crews are making last-minute checks on emergency equipment. and on cape cod, boat owners aren't taking any chances, pulling vessels out of the water. with sustained winds over 120 miles per hour, earl could be a devastating storm. >> my biggest concern will be will the public heed evacuation orders, if they're given, and will they have a plan before that evacuation order is called? >> reporter: and we have tropical storm fiona, which has strengthened a little bit, 45 -mile-per-hour winds and doesn't look like it's going to affect the eastern coast of the united states. but there's a third system behind that and that will become gaston, and it may become a tropical depression within the next 24 hours. ann? >> all right, al, thanks so much. we'll get to the rest of your forecast in just a few moments. meanwhile, bill reed is director of the national hurricane center. good morning. >> good morning. >> it's been downgraded, but

it's still a category 3 hurricane. your best guess on whether it will come ashore. >> right, i'll reiterate what al said, it's only 10 miles an hour weaker than it was yesterday, that's not a very significant difference. our two biggest concerns are it's coming northwest, the coast of north carolina and extreme southeast virginia on early friday morning and late thursday night. later on friday into saturday, for southeastern new england. just a small change in the direction of the storm could raise an impact. the large waves, beach erosion and rip currents will be a problem up and down the east coast until earl is gone. >> we're already seeing the first mandatory evacuation on north carolina's ocracoke island. how are you managing evacuations all up and down and in what regions? >> well, the evacuations are, of course, the authority of the local officials so we don't make

that call. we will probably have to go with some warnings later on today as the storm gets closer and that will probably trigger other evacuations within the watch and warning areas. >> let's talk about that watch and warning area. give us an area, from where to where do you recommend that people are very conscious about this storm? >> all right. i would take anywhere along the north carolina coast, tropical storm conditions in the far southeast, all the way up to the virginia beach area, because that's the area that will be impacted as early as tomorrow, on into tomorrow night and early friday morning. depending on how far offshore it is, we may have a problem friday into saturday for southern new england and the eastern tip of long island, but everywhere along the east coast should monitor the track of this in case there's an unexpected shift further to the west. >> when you talk about an unexpected shift to the west, you're worried about the eye of the storm, whether it will go closer to the land, is that correct? >> that's absolutely correct. we'll put a different graphic up here to show you why.

this shows you the wind shear as it goes across cape hatteras. the red area is the hurricane force winds. if the track was further west, it would bring hurricane winds. up over the area there. of course you'll have tropical storm force winds along the immediate coast. the stronger the wind, the more serious the threat. >> bill reed trying to give us a warning here. it's still coming up. thank you very much for your time this morning, sir. >> my pleasure. >> it is now 7:08. now to matt. >> thank you, ann. now to president obama's prime time address officially marking the end of combat operations in iraq. was the war worth the sacrifice? we'll talk with vice president joe biden, who's in baghdad this morning in just a moment, but, first, savannah guthrie has more on the president's remarks. we send is over to you. >> reporter: the president said last night the country has paid a huge price for the war in iraq and it was time to turn the page. >> tonight, i am announcing that the american combat mission in iraq has ended.

>> reporter: addressing the nation in prime time from the oval office, the president said he was fulfilling a campaign promise, withdrawing combat troops from iraq, a seven-year war that claimed more than 4,400 american lives. >> the united states has paid a huge price to put the future of iraq in the hands of its people. we have met our responsibilities. now it's time to turn the page. >> reporter: aboard air force one tuesday, the president called former president bush, and tuesday night, had kind words for his predecessor. >> it's well known that he and i disagreed about the war from its outset, yet no one can doubt president bush's support for our troops or his love of country and commitment to our security. >> reporter: but the president's critics lashed out even before the address, saying the president failed to give proper credit to bush's troop surge. >> some leaders who opposed, criticized and fought tooth and nail to stop the surge strategy,

now proudly claim credit for the results. >> reporter: the president, who visited with returning soldiers in texas, said he was awed by the troops' service and sacrifice. but now it's time to put americans back to work. >> we must tackle those challenges at home with a sense of energy and a sense of common purpose as our men and women in uniform served abroad. >> reporter: today, the president's next foreign policy challenge is ahead of him. face to face talks between israel and the palestinian authority in 18 months. the president making a high stakes bet that involvement by the u.s. will kick start the peace process. yet, on the eve of negotiations, hamas fighters killed four israeli settlers, bringing a swift response from israel's prime minister in washington. >> we will not let the blood of israeli civilians go unpunished. >> reporter: and making talk of peace all the more difficult. >> the test of the mettle of this president is going to be

can he move both leaders, despite whatever provocations occur, to stay committed. >> reporter: today, the president will hold private back-to-back meetings in the oval office with the leaders of israeli, the palestine authority, egypt and jordan. peace talks get underway in earnest at the state department. >> savannah guthrie, thank you. vice president joe biden is in baghdad this morning, mr. vice president, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt, how are you? >> i'm fine, sir, thank you very much. there is a question being asked in homes all across the country this morning, after seven years and 4,400 lives and tens of thousands of u.s. servicemen and women, some of them wounded horrifically, and billions and billions of dollars spent, was iraq worth it. how do you answer that question? >> my answer, matt, is that all the sacrifices made by the american people, but

particularly by our troops, we have to, in fact, make sure that this transition to the iraqis works, we have to make sure that when we leave here, there is a stable government that is secure within its own borders, not a threat to its neighbors in order to justify all that sacrifice that is taking place, because the sacrifice is real. >> so you're saying if we don't ensure the future, it may not have been worth it? in other words, at this stage, is it still unclear whether it's worth it? >> matt, having a son who served here for a year and feeling lucky he came home and thinking about all those parents who didn't have their child come home, i could never say to any of those parents it's not worth it. what i have to say is we are commit to making sure the sacrifices they made bear fruit and the fruit will ultimately be in a stable iraqi government that is able to stand on their own and, in fact, is not a threat to its neighbors, nor threatened by its neighbors.

>> you said recently that iraq is safe. there were some 50 people killed in insurgents attacks in the days before you were there. on at least three occasions warnings have sounded warning of incoming mortar, so for the 50,000 u.s. troops that remain, now that the combat troops are gone, that their loved ones safe? >> look. matt, the level of violence is the lowest it's been since 2003 when we got here. there are traffic jams in the street, there are people walking around and the vast majority of the country, there have been no attacks. the fact of the matter is that there was an uptick in violence, 12 simultaneous attacks that, in fact, took place a week or so ago, creating significantly less damage than any kind of coordinated attack has in the past. it's still dangerous. but the fact of the matter is

those 50,000 troops are well equipped, well protected and they're in a position where they're much, much safer than troops were a year ago, two years ago, and three years ago, as a matter of fact, safer than any time since 2003. but there's still -- there's still danger that exists in this country. >> in his speech from the oval office last night, mr. vice president, the president referred to former president bush and he said that while the two of them were at odds on this war from the very beginning, he said that no one could doubt mr. bush's, quote, support for our troops and his love of country and his commitment to our security. i want to read you from an editorial this morning in "the new york times" he said in many ways the war has made americans less save, creating a new organization of terrorists and diverting the nation's military resources and political will from afghanistan. deprived of its main adversary is strong iraq, iran was left freer to pursue its nuclear program to direct and finance

extremist groups and mettle in iraq. do you agree with that assessment? easement well, look. all i'm going to focus on today, matt, is iraq. the fact of the matter is we are moving in a direction where the iraqis are in a better position to be successful, free and not a destabilizing force in the world, but a positive force. and the question about whether or not credit is deserved, who deserves the credit for this beginning of a fundamental transition, i don't think is worth arguing about. the truth of the matter is there were a lot of mistakes. there's no doubt the president and i both disagreed with the way in which the war was begun, how it was conducted, et cetera, but the truth of the matter is, that at the end of the last administration, a transition was in place, there was a political movement that was afoot. we kept on secretary gates, we kept on general petreaus, we kept on a continuity here to

finish the job. and that's what we're in the process of doing. >> vice president joe biden joining us from baghdad. mr. vice president, i thank you for your time. >> thanks an awful lot, matt, i appreciate it. let's get a check of the rest of this morning's top stories from natalie morales. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. alaska's close republican senate primary has now been decided and a newcomer has taken over an incumbent. during night, senator lisa murkowski conceded to her opponent joe miller. miller was backed by sarah palin and the tea party express. it's the first time the tea party movement has defeated a sitting senator in a primary. p u.s. officials are downplaying any threat posed by two men arrested on a flight to amsterdam over the weekend. federal agents say the two were not traveling together and it appears unlikely they were testing airport security. the army is investigating some unexplained infant deaths

at ft. bragg. since 2007, ten children under the age of 1 have died in an army base housing there. unmanned predator drones will begin flying along the u.s.-mexico border today in a stepped-up effort to crack down on illegal immigration and drug trafficking. a new poll from careerbuilder.com finds that one in five american workers has missed paying a bill in the past year and eight out of ten workers say they are living paycheck to paycheck. in the meantime overseas markets were mainly higher today. cnbc's erin burnett is at the new york strange with a look at what we have going on there. >> reporter: optimism does rule this morning. we have some data on manufacturing out of china that's better than expected so we'll have a little pop but whether the market can hold on depends on here. we'll find out if companies are hiring in a key survey. speaking of jobs, there's a study out this morning from the institute for policy studies that found that the ceos of the 50 companies that laid off the most workers during the

financial crisis actually received $12 million in compensation last year. 42% more than the ceos who didn't have all those layoffs. back to you. >> erin burnett at the new york stock exchange. thank tress zsa zsa gabor was hospitalized on tuesday after her husband found her in a great deal of pain and unresponsive. and a quantas flight was forced to make an emergency landing tuesday in san francisco after a problem with one of the engines. cell phone video from one of the passengers captured sparks flying from the engine as the plane headed back to san francisco's airport shortly after taking off. the plane landed safely, fortunately. it is now 7:18 right now, you're up-to-date. let's turn it over to matt and ann. you never want to see sparks flying from the engine when you're on that plane. >> we're happy it ended well. >> next we turn to al again. >> yes, to north carolina for the rest of the weather this morning. hey, al. >> reporter: as you see, it's a gorgeous morning here at kill

devil hills, but this is going to take a turn for the worse as we go through the next 48 hours. let's show you where the weather is going to be kind of rough in the next 24 hours, and that is in the central plains, from sioux falls down to omaha to topeka. and points of the west. super cells may develop. look at the threat for tornadoes and maybe large hail. look at this line of showers and thunderstorms, from alpena down to chicago, back to st. louis, heavy thunderstorms, rainfall amounts in parts of oklahoma and on into missouri could be anywhere from 3 to 5 inches, some areas locally could pick up 6 to 7 inches of rain before it's all over. sunny start to the day. scene from san bruno mountain, pretty pleasant. our temperatures are going the look a lot like summer. low 90s, san jose. upper 80s around oakland. 70s along the beaches. and the same story tomorrow, if not a little bit hotter.

we'll start off tomorrow morning a little bit warmer. some 70s to start off tomorrow morning. then as we head towards the weekend, the sea breeze fires up and we start to cool down. 70s and 80s inland for labor day weekend. >> and that's your latest weather. a ann? >> al, thank you. still ahead this morning, movie star michael douglas stuns audiences on late-night television by admitting on stage that he has stage 4 throat cancer. but despite that grim news, he is very upbeat. we'll hear what he has to say in b-a-c-c-a-l-a-u-r-e-a-t-e.

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good morning. it's 7:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. we are following developing news out of the east bay, where police say one man is connected to two murders and the disappearance of three other people. late last night, chp officers killed the suspect, efren valdemoro after a high-speed chase. nbc bay area's christie smith is live in vallejo this morning where investigators pulled the bodies of two women from a home. christie? >> reporter: good morning to you. no one is saying exactly who these victims are, but investigators say the scene inside this home is grisly. they also say it appears that these two people have been dead for some time. now, we should also mention that two women tied to the home have

been missing for day. marcaria smart, also known as carol, and segundia allen, also known as rita. again, we don't know who the victims are this morning, but the suspect in the hercules killing is believed to have stayed here. also, the bomb squad was called in because bomb-making materials were found inside and at a storage locker. the latest word, there's so much to handle that the atf is now on the way. live in vallejo, christie smith, nbc bay area news. >>owe w you'lkn ossnn it. thank you very much. 7:27. a look at traffic after this.

welcome back. a live look at the sunol grade. this is rr slow, but better than ten minutes ago, when traffic was completely stopped. it's moving again. no incidents reported, but this is going to cause a problem. everyone from livermore coming over to this scene. 28 minutes out of the altamont pass. and eastbound at eden canyon, an accident report there had. southbound at 238, approaching the castro valley y. and a fire in hayward. >> and we'll have another local news update in about half an hour. "today" show returns in less than a minute. have a great morning.

♪ it is 7:30 now on a wednesday morning, it's also the first day of september. welcome to that month, 2010. our crowd is enjoying some nice weather outside. you know what? this could be the calm before the storm, hurricane earl taking aim at the east coast. will that storm come ashore? will it bring damaging winds and rain along the coast? we'll have al in just a few minutes. >> back in time for labor day, too. >> hopefully, not. back inside studio 1a. coming up in just a moment, president obama's newly designed oval office. some people like it, some do

not. we're going to get a closer look at some of the changes. also we turn to a father's desperate search. a man's wife took off and headed to native egypt. he wants to know if u.s. officials can put enough pressure on egyptian authorities to get those boys back. we will talk to him in a few moments. a little later on the program, andre agassi, the tennis great is back to explain why he decided to bare is soul to the entire world. we will talk about the reaction he got to his surprising can dit autobiography. the u.s. open starting here, and a couple of other things. >> i find him fascinating, he has this love-hate relationship with tennis. >> a good guy. first let's begin with michael douglas and his fight against throat cancer. last night, he shocked late-night tv viewers by admitting that the cancer that he is now fighting is stage 4.

but douglas is confident he can beat it. >> reporter: michael douglas looked a bit thinner than the stoic actor we have come to know, but was upbeat on the show with david letterman. just three weeks ago, douglas learned of his diagnosis. stage 4 throat cancer. >> i finished my first week of radiation and chemo. >> you have never looked better to me, and this proves that you're a tough guy. >> the tone on the late show was light. >> i found out about it three weeks ago. i said, gee, just when i found out i was going to be on your show. >> reporter: but the subject matter was serious. >> you don't sound like you have throat cancer. why is that? >> because i'm on stage. >> reporter: douglas says his cancer was caused by years of smoking and drinking, but he likes his odds, he says there's an 80% chance he will have a full recovery. >> the big thing you worry about

is that it's spreading. >> reporter: married to katharine zeta jones, he has had one of the most storied careers in history. but this year has been aive one. his oldest son cameron was sentenced to five years on drug charges. >> someone once said to me greed is good. why don't you start calling me gordon. >> reporter: and just as his "wall street" sequel hits the big screen, his ex-wife is suing him for 50% of his earnings from the movie. and his voice is heard nightly on nbc news. >> this is nbc "nightly news" with brian williams. >> reporter: he's suffering from a cancer that could cripple one of his trademarks that makes him so recognizable. >> this is the first week of the chemo and the radiation, the radiation continues to burn your mouth. >> did they find it early enough for their liking? >> i sure [ bleep ] hope so. >> yeah.

>> reporter: the 65-year-old is still resolute and upbeat. >> i feel like i want to do something for you. can i do something for you? >> give me a hug! >> all right, by god. >> reporter: letterman gave him a hug, the audience gave him a standing ovation. >> as we said before, we're pulling for michael, he's a good guy. >> a lot of people like to give him hugs, in fact. let's head to north carolina, al is keeping an eye on hurricane earl and the rest of the nation's weather. al? >> that's right, the whole nation is sending michael douglas a big old hug. let's take a look. we have got in the northeast, boy, it's summertime, as we go into the last official weekend of summer. look at these temperatures, 96 degrees today in new york city and boston and in washington, d.c. heat advisory for washington, -- for new york city. cincinnati will be 93. cleveland, hello! you're 91 degrees. that heat extends all the way back into the southwest where temperatures will be well over 100, but the pacific northwest will be nice and temperate with

temperatures in the 60s, 90s along the gulf coast. we have got a risk of strong storms back along the central plains, wet weather in the pacific northwest. heat continues in phoenix. 104 degrees today and we're looking for rain extending all the way back into the central and eastern great lakes. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. from one coast to the other, right now golden gate bridge, mostly sunny and we should see highs in the 80s around san francisco. 70s on the coast. right now, 50s and 60s outside. not much of a sea breeze at all. and that's the reason why our inland temperatures today, with high pressureuilding in, soaring, 90s around san jose. upper 90s in the warmest places inland. san francisco and oakland in the 80s today. tomorrow likely to be the hottest day of e week. we start to see some cooling on friday. more noticeable cooling on labor day weekend as inland temperatures drop back into the 70s and 80s. your latest weather, including hurricane earl's statistics, on

the weather channel, on cable, or weather.com online. >> al, thank you. a lot of people like to redo their home offices, but when yours is the most famous office in the world, the oval office, any makeover is going to get a lot of scrutiny. nbc's white house correspondent savannah guthrie is back this morning with a new look at president obama's workplace. savannah, good morning. >> good morning to you, ann. you know, most presidents do redecorate their offices when they are inaugurated. president obama decided to wait a little while. at first, he said he liked the way president bush had it decorated. but now it seems it's time for a change. >> good evening. >> reporter: on tuesday night, it wasn't just what president obama said that got noticed, but where he said it, an oval office that just got a makeover. while the president and first family were away vacationing on martha's vineyard, workers were putting in new wallpaper, a pair of new sofas, two chairs reupholstered in carmel leather, new brightly colored lamps and a coffee table, and the centerpiece of the famously oval

room, a carpet with famous quotes of the president from teddy roosevelt and martin luther king. >> during our discussions -- >> reporter: new presidents traditionally redecorate their office to make them their own. >> we want you to see the new rug. it's a tradition for each president -- >> reporter: president bush had his wife laura design his oval office rug. he talked about it often. and wasn't the only one. >> i love this rug! >> yeah. >> reporter: historians say president obama's choices fit his personality. >> the fact that obama is the president for whom words matter so much, makes this rug the most personal of the changes that he's made in the white house. >> reporter: but mum's the word from the white house on how much the redesign cost, although officials say it was comparable to what presidents clinton and bush had spent and downplayed just how extreme a makeover this really is. >> each president puts his stamp on the office. none of the modest changes that were done inside the oval office were done at any taxpayer expense. >> reporter: and the white house

points out the new items were made in america. and these oval office redecorations were paid for by donations to the presidential inauguration committee. ann? >> savannah guthrie, thank you. margaret russell, the editor-in-chief at architectural digest magazine. margaret, good morning. >> good morning. >> you spoke to the designer michael smith last night. did he say why the president wanted to make this change? >> i spoke very briefly to michael smith when he just got off a plane. actually, michael is not talking about this project and he won't. you know, he's incredibly discreet about his clients. but they have been in the office now for several months and every president does come in and put his own imprint on the oval office. it was expected. >> it's modern. >> it is modern. >> it is very, very different. and that is perhaps one reason why there's been a little bit of scrutiny, in fact, i would say bad reviews. one was compared -- i hate to say this, but talking about the

discussion about the scrutiny. one actually compared it to a law office in a strip mall. okay, now i know you're not a designer. >> that's just mean! >> okay. it is! but what do you think? i mean give us an idea about what he was going for and what the ideas of this room. >> i think the ideas are really stronger and i think the room reflects the president who i think is a very modern looking president. but he always has one foot in the past and one foot in the future. i think that he's very cognizant of the legacy and the foundation of that office. so this office actually has a lot that's been there for a long time. what we saw in the speech last night with the curtains hanging behind the president, those were the same curtains from the president bush. the portraits. i think the biggest change is that extraordinary rug that was made in america and has the presidential seal and quotes from four presidents and martin luther king jr. around the edge of it. words mean a great deal to this president.

that, i think, is my favorite thing in the room. >> you also like the fact that everything in the office is american made. there's a specific point and that's kind of a first. >> i think it's really important. it's surprising to me that in the past, everything wasn't american made and it is now. and the design industry has been really hard hit by the economy. so whether it's good or bad reviews, if there's more attention paid to design because of this, then i think michael smith has done a good thing. i'm sorry. he's focused on very small family-owned companies and i think their businesses will get an enormous boost from this exposure. >> also to be noted. no taxpayer money was used to remodel this office. you're someone who understands this profession. how much money do you think it probably cost? >> i have no idea. i know the rug was donated. i think people probably did things at cost just for the honor of being included in that office. >> hundreds of thousands? >> it's not for me to say. >> i guess we're going to have to ask the white house to cough up that number.

margaret russell, a pleasure. thank you so uch on your new post. >> thank you. and coming up next, a massachusetts father's desperate search for his two young sons taken by their mother to her native egypt against his will. we're going to speak to him about what he's doing to bring them home right after this. [ male announcer ] they say breakfast helps kids be their best. we think it probably helps teachers be their best too. quaker instant oatmeal. does your breakfast make you amazing?

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that's why i'm exercising more now. eating healthier. and i also trust my heart to lipitor. [ male announcer ] when diet and exercise are not enough, adding lipitor may help. lipitor is a cholesterol-lowering medication that is fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. lipitor is backed by over 18 years of research. lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications, or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. dean will never forget what he went through. don't take your health for granted. [ male announcer ] have a heart to heart with your doctor about your risk. and about lipitor. we're back now at 7:43 with a father who's desperately trying to get his kids back after his ex-wife snatched them and then took them overseas.

now u.s. officials are getting involved. we're going to speak to the boys' father exclusive. but first nbc's jeff rossen is here with the latest on the story. >> the boys are just 7 and 9 years old, their father has no clue where they are. somewhere in egypt, that's all he knows. now the kids are with their mother who's basically in hiding, she lost custody here in the u.s. and then smuggled the boys overseas to egypt. now there's national pressure to bring them home. >> i just arrived in cairo. >> reporter: just days ago, collin bower caught this video in egypt as he searched for his kids again, for this american dad, trip number six ended like all the others, desperate and alone. collin hasn't seen his boys, hihis loves in more than a year. he says they were literally stolen from him by their mother, his ex-wife. they got divorced in boston in 2008, colin won sole custody of

7-year-old ramsey and 9-year-old norr. but his ex-wife took the kids, forgeded their passports and snuck them into their native egypt. >> i don't know where they are. i have been told that the egyptian government knows where they are. >> but the egyptian government won't tell you. >> they certainly haven't told me. >> reporter: collin has launched a facebook page with direct pleas to the boys. >> i think about you every day, it's the first thing i think about when i wake up and the last thing i think about before i go to sleep. >> reporter: his ex-wife's face on the wanted website. >> it's presumed that a mother should have custody of children in egypt. so it's one of the things he's going to have to work against. >> reporter: collin is supposed to see his kids twice a month, he shows up and says his ex-wife

doesn't, neither do the kids. do you think they have been brainwashed to hate you. >> i think the mother practiced parental alienation prior to kidnapping them and taking them to egypt and i'm sure she's going the same thing now. >> reporter: senator john kerry has written three letters to egyptian officials saying in a statement i call upon the egyptian government to do what it can to locate noor and ramsay and bring them home. now the state department is involved too. by mere coincidence, egypt's president is in washington for a preplanned summit with secretary of state hillary clinton. >> i want them to be on an airplane tomorrow. she has the ability to do that. the egyptian government has the ability to return these children tomorrow. that's what i want. that's what they deserve. >> reporter: diplomatic pressure worked for another american dad david goldman, he spent five years trying to get his abducted

son shaun back from brazil. now they're living as a family back in new jersey, a scene collin dreams about every day. >> be good boys, get lots of exercise, stay active, stay healthy and know that daddy loves you. >> reporter: i spoke with the ex-wife's attorney by phone yesterday, he wouldn't comment on any of this. but there are developments in the case this morning. but officials from the u.s. embassy was able to meet with the boys in egypt, and said they were in good shape and well clothed and talked actively about clothes and activities. >> the last information that jeff just gave us has to be good news because now at least someone from the u.s. embassy knows where your boys are? >> it's good news because they know that the boys are safe. and they know that the boys are in reasonable condition. they don't know where they r. >> did you learn anything else about that meeting? anything else about your boys?

>> no, i didn't. i learned that exactly what the clip said in summary. but after a year's time, i'm sure that they were well on message and they were well coached for that visit. >> you created this facebook page and i want to play another portion of what you recorded and then talk to you on the other side about it. >> i want you both to know that dadly loves you and that daddy will always love you and that daddy will never, ever forget you. >> as a father, i find that recording heart breaking because you have to know the chances of them actually getting to see it are slim. so in some ways it tells me you're recording that more for your own feeling than their feelings? >> originally i did. it was one way -- it was frankly therapeutic for me to communicate with them in some fashion after a year because i haven't been able to at all.

but i also found out yesterday that in fact noor who's 9 is on the internet and they did reference the facebook page. >> so he knows? >> yes, he knows and i reached out to friends and family last night to post messages to him and to ramsay. >> when you go to egypt, you have these twice a month court ordered visits. when you go there, are you working with someone from the court? do they meet you? do they say they're trying to help you? or are you left to fend for yourself. >> it's a court order, i'm there often with someone from the embassy and my own local legal counsel, but there's nobody to enforce compliance on the egyptian side. >> is it true if she doesn't comply on three separate occasions she could face the loss of custody and jail time? >> but that's up to the egyptian court but you have to rely on the fact that they will actually

implement their laws. >> any more optimistic that you may be put in contact with your sons? >> as a matter of fact i was told yesterday that they don't intend to honor this visitation, blata blatantly. >> hillary clinton meeting with the egyptian delegation, are you at all optimistic? >> i know that senator kerry has reached out to the state, i snow that ambassador scoby has reached out to the state department. hopefully president mubarak is at the white house today and president clinton will be speaking to him tomorrow and the u.s. state department has the ability to make this go away. >> it's 7:50, we're back right after this. [ female announcer ] introducing, new townhouse flatbread crisps. they're oven-baked flatbread crisps. ♪ with the tastes of sea salt and olive oil.

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coming up, tennis great andre agassi, he wrote a tell-all biography. >> what do the people closest to him think about this book? we have a lot of questions to ask him. we're going to talk to him, andre agassi. >> and he can still play. it's been a hard thing. i was, like, the first person to leave home. ♪ my name is elan, and i'm saving up to buy a new toyota corolla. i really need the reliability that the corolla provides. i am a bookkeeper, and also a prep chef, so i need to be driving around from place to place.

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good morning to you. it is 7:56 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. new information in the bizarre crime spree connected to one man in the east bay. nbc bay area's christie smith is live in vallejo this morning. it's kind of an amazing story. and literally, we're getting new information minute by minute. tell us the latest. >> reporter: yeah. good morning to you. it's quite bizarre. investigators now telling us that the two bodies found inside this home here behind me had been dead for some time. they're not saying exactly who these women are, but we do know that marcaria smart, also known as carol and segundia allen, also known as rita, are still missing. but allen had lived in the home and her husband was taken for questioning, he is taken from inside the home where the bodies were found. also in the home, investigators

now revealing they found dynamite inside, c-4, blasting caps, and bottle after bottle filled with chemicals. homes in the area have been evacuated and the atf is on the way.e'll keep you >>e'll keep you updated. more news after this. [ female announcer ] we know jerry brown was mayor of oakland,

but what were the results? fact: brown promised to improve schools. but the drop out rate increased 50%, and the state had to take over the schools. fact: the city controller found employees paid for 22,000 hours... they never worked. fact: brown promised to cut crime. but murders doubled, making oakland the 4th most dangerous city in america. jerry brown. he just can't deliver the results california needs now. welcome back. big slowing in the east bay right here. southbound 680, an accident just off the venetian bridge.

the area at highway 4 coming in, very slow. 242, coming in, slow there, as you might expect. jammed from both directions of 880 passing by 238 and southbound 238, two accident there is still causing a problem heading over to eastbound 580. the south bay, northbound 280 jammed up coming off of 680. and look at that, 85 also jammed. a new accident coming into downtown slows you on highway 87. south bay commute is on. >> such a busy morning. i'll have another local news update for you in half an hour. "today" show returns in less than a minute. have a good morning.

8:00 now on a wednesday morning, the first day of september, 2010. let me say that again, september 1, and we have a nice crowd here on the plaza. 77 degrees, blue skies and we're hoping that lasts as long as possible before hurricane earl possibly makes his presence known here along the east coast. al is tracking that hurricane. he's down on the outer banks of north carolina. we're going to check with al in just a couple of minutes. >> on the first day of the month, we need to be told to have a lucky word to have a lucky month. we were told the say white

rabbits. >> i'm matt lauer, this is anne curry, and coming up in this half hour is andre agassi, he has a flashy style, flashy hair, for a while a movie star wife and it seems now we know that there was also a lot of conflict in andre's life. he's back and he's going to talk about some of the revelations he made in his book and i think also some of the reaction that that book has generated. we'll get his reaction to that. >> that's one of the reasons why we love him is that he is so honest about all the things that have happened to him. and we're also going to talk to melissa and jeremy, who you met last week, they of course are our wedding couple. and they live thousands of miles apart. he is now serving in afghanistan. you picked them to get married live here on our plaza next month. so we have got a lot of decisions to make. there they are. we have got a lot of decisions to make, including the ring

which we're going to talk about this morning. and also we're going to choose where to have the wedding reception. >> jeremy will be back in about a week. natalee morales standing by at the news desk. >> good morning, everyone. on north carolina's outer banks this morning, residents are being told to evacuate ahead of hurricane earl. the storm has weakened, but it is expected to brush the coast late thursday or early friday. people are stocking up on supplies and being warned that rip currents and strong waves. and we'll have much more on the track of the storm coming from al roker who's in north carolina j off a little bit. president obama says the u.s. role in iraq is now to assist and advise iraqi security forces. the president announced the end of combat in iraq in an address from the oval office last night and says the u.s. must turn it's attention to the struggling

economy. >> our most urgent task is to restore the economy and put millions of americans back to work. to strengthen the middle class, we must give all our children the education they deserve and all our workers the skills they need to compete in a global economy. >> joe biden is in baghdad meeting with iraqi leaders and presiding over a change of command ceremony. vice president bi defense secretary robert gates is also in iraq for the transition ceremony and meeting with troops. president netanyahu and president abbas are in washington to for peace talks. and it's not something you see every day in your backyard pool. a car plunged into a swimming pole in a home near orlando on

tuesday after the driver lost control and crashed through a fence. three people were hospitalized. now here's brian williams with a look at what's coming up tonight on nbc "nightly news." >> as you have been covering all this morning, now it's a matter of figuring out where this storm is heading, big storm churning up the atlantic, we'll have complete coverage starting tonight when we see you right here for nightly news. natalee for now back to you. thanks, brian, 8:04. let's go back outside with matt and ann. >> we're going to get a check of the weather with al who is in kill devil hills, north carolina on the outer banks. >> al, what's going on out there? it looks nice and sunny now. >> reporter: it is gorgeous, it's a perfect chamber of commerce day. but that is going to make a change, why? because of hurricane earl. right now, earl a category 3 storm. and even though it's weakened from a 4, don't let that fool you, it is going to be a

problem. right now we have got three storms out there, we have got earl with 125-mile-per-hour ave fiona,lsho has increased to 60-mile-per-hour windsnd gaston could be next. right now earl 700 miles south/southeast of cape hatteras, moving west at 16 miles an hour. we have hurricane watches up now from surf city all the way up into virginia with these hurricane watches and they made be upgraded later on in the next 24 hours. the path of the storm brings it right along shore sometime late thursday night on into friday morning, now again, cape hatteras is within that cone of uncertainty, it continues on up and you can see those hurricane force winds extend out 90 miles from the center of the storm. tropical storm force winds out 200 miles from the center of the storm. so we don't have to have a direct history t to have any so affect from winds and rain.

and the last time new england got hit by a major hurricane was 1991, hurricane bob, so we're going to continue we have a sunny start to the day. right now san francisco, nice view looking out across the bay. notice the flags barely moving around. in fact, we don't have much much a sea breeze. 50s and 60s outside. sure enough, the winds, really nothing going on. summer sunshine will warm into the 90s inland. 80s around the bay. that includes san francisco and oakland. the coast comfortably in the 70s. we'll see a day tomorrow that will likely be a little hotter inland. cooling starts on the coast friday. then everyone starts to cool down as we move through labor day weekend. can they be saved is the question to be asked this morning. we're talking about up close and personal, we're going to get up close and personal as she is with some endangered species. att coming up next, andre inn hr

p on his rationship with his father and his girlfriend stephany grass, coming up after this. this is the back to school list. the cost always makes mom freak. mommy. mom, the back to school list is here. looks expensive. graphing calculator, flash drives... that was easy. [ male announcer ] get back to school and back to savings on everything on your list at staples. challenge the need for such heavy measures with olay. new regenerist micro-sculpting serum for firmer skin in 5 days. pretty heavy lifting for such a lightweight. [ female announcer ] olay regenerist.

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carnation instant breakfast ♪ [ instrumental: uphey, max. [ announcer ] your dog's one of a kind. and now, you have the power... [ giggling ] to help significantly extend his healthy years. a groundbreaking 14-year study by purina... proves that puppy chow, then dog chow nutrition, fed properly over a lifetime, can help extend his lovable antics... up to 1.8 healthy years. [ barks ] long live your buddy. oh, max! long live your dog. purina puppy chow and purina dog chow. we're back now at 8:10. last november tennis legend andre agassi made headlines for some of the revelations in his best selling auto biography, including that he used crystal meth and that he hated tennis. four years after his professional requirement, andre's auto biography is in

paper back. when you went out to do the publicity interviews, were you surprised at what interviews wanted to talk about and what they didn't talk about? >> not as surprised as i was in my own life as i really poured myself into it over three years, i put thousands of hours into it. the reason i call this book open, is because i turn a real hard lens on myself and any time you expose all parts of who you are, some things are going to get criticized. the only way i was really affected by it is if somebody read that book and felt that it didn't impact their life or didn't make a difference. but just talking about the sensationalized bits. >> like the crystal meth thing, it's only like a page and a half in the entire book, and yet you had to know that it was going to get an awful lot of attention. did you ever say they didn't talk about some of the things that were more important because it was hijacked by that subject?

>> it doesn't get the message out about what this book is really about, which is forgiveness of yourself and forgiveness of your parents. there's so many parts of this book that i really want to impact people. so when they hear about all those things sensationalized, i do find myself saying there were some low points and you just can't talk about the good stuff. >> i want to talk about conflict, because one of the things i came away thinking about you is a guy who has had a lot of conflict in his life. on one hand he made a great career out of tennis, but he says he hated it at times. loved his father, but hated him at times. asked brooke to marry him and then conflicted. >> when a life is imposed on you, which it was. i don't talk about my father as hating him, i talk about him being very intense and imposing

a life on me that i never took ownership of until i was 7 years old. when you get sent away from home and being raised by other teenagers, you rebel and you don't know who you are, and as a result you're constantly exploring who you are and in a lot of ways that comes across as communicating who you are when you're really just trying to figure it out. >> i want to go back to 2006, you and i got together out at the u.s. tennis center and i asked you about upon retirement being connected to other tennis players. >> i'm just so in love with this game, i'm in love with this sport, what it's added to my life and how do you put that into words really? >> i'm just so in love with this game, in love with this sport and what it's meant to my life and yet if you read the book, there were time then that was

absolutely not the case. >> it was a hate-love with tennis. i hated it because i felt like it was never mine. but at 27 years old. at 140 in the world, i gave myself the permission to walk away from the sport. and the second i did that, i said, what if i now choose it for my reasons? >> when you sat there talking to me and other journalists at that point in your career, did you still feel as if you had to say to people i love this game? >> no, at that stage in my career, i had full ownership of my life. you got to remember at the stage we talked there, here's what i had, tennis gave me my school that i built in las vegas, tennis gave me my wife, why love dearly and my two children, it took away my childhood, but gave me a chance to experience my own kids' childhood. so at that stage in my life, tennis became much more balanced. >> did it change the relationship with your father? has he read the book? do you know that? >> he hasn't read it. >> does that bother you at all?

>> it doesn't bother me, because i know my father, he says what the hell do i need the book for? i was there. i saw it all. i said you might be hearing things and maybe we need to talk about it. he said if i could do it all over again, except it wouldn't be tennis, it would be baseball or golf i said why? he said because you can play it longer and make more money. >> you said you kind of hope your kids don't want to become players, but if they show a real passion for it and interest, how are you going to handle it? >> take a deep breath and be supportive and be nurturing. they are exposed to it. but it's their life and their choice. the problem with tennis is choosing tennis or really pushing it, you don't want to know your child's road so intimately that you know what's

ahead and the obstacles for them. >> it's in their blood. if any kids have a leg up on a sport, these kids have a leg up on a sport. have they shown, you know a talent for it? have they picked up racquets? >> i mean we watch them do things and, sure, i think every pare parent thinks the world of their children. my daughter loves baseball. my daughter loves horses. plays tennis three times a week, hits the ball really well. but you haven't met the rest of my family. we don't know what's going to come. >> thinking back to your emotional farewell at the u.s. open, four years ago, i said to you in the commercial break, do you miss it at all? you said no. but when you look back at this tape that we're showing right now what, comes to mind? >> you know what comes to mind?

i miss the opportunity to impact somebody for a couple of hours, but i have chosen to see my post tennis as a real platform to impact people for a lifetime. that's how i saw this book, that's how i see my foundation, that's how i see what i'm doing with my schools. >> school is another conflict, here's a guy who did not like school and now has a college prep academy. >> that's right. a ninth grade dropout and eighth grade was the worst three years of my life, how about that? to me i always felt a lack of education in my life and i was lucky enough to be good enough at something to bring those professors with me, to bring those teachers and guiders that i talk about in my book. some people are not so lucky, they don't have a choice and that means a lot of horrific thing for some people. >> recently men's rankings came

out. but for the first time in a long time, there was no american male in the top ten. is that big deal? or is it only a big deal to us in this country? does it impact the game in any way? >> i do believe it does, we're a big market to have somebody who's captured the american mind and interest is a huge thing for the sport, no question. and countries go through their phases. we have been spoiled with a lot of incredible generations of successful championships and lately we have, i mean andy got to number one in the world and won the u.s. open and we saw, we all responded to that, we have a number of players now, isner, who had an incredible epic match at the open. >> i'm glad you brought up john i never, that match, 11 hours and five minutes, were you watching, were you screaming? were you so happy you were retired? >> i was actually in london in

the hotel room and i made these final words at 25-25 in the fifth set, i said to steph, just give me a few minutes, i just want to catch the wimbeldon. two days later -- but that was incredible. but that's what's one of the beautiful things about tennis, you don't have to be good, you just have to be better than one person, to see two guys trying to figure out a way to get over the line on the other one. it's problem solving skills to make your better in life. >> you may not miss the sport, but the sport misses you, it's nice to have you here. >> and the book is called "open" it's now out in paper back and andre is going to be back later to talk with kathy lee and coda. today's wedding couple will hold their reception after they get married and they'll get to see which rings you have chosen for them.

no oil has flowed into the gulf for weeks, but it's just the beginning of our work. i'm iris cross. bp has taken full responsibility for the clean up in the gulf and that includes keeping you informed. my job is to listen to the shrimpers and fishermen, hotel and restaurant workers and find ways to help. that means working with communities. we have 19 centers in 4 states. we've made over 120,000 claims payments,

more than $375 million. we'vinton nd a detaienpeclmsuncld to cover lost income until people impacted can get back to work. we'll keep looking for oil, cleaning it up if we find it and restoring the gulf coast. i was born in new orleans. my family still lives here. bp is gonna be here until the oil is gone and the people and businesses are back to normal... until we make this right. a touch of that... yup, there's a new head chef in the kitchen. introducing new quaker mix up creations. does your breakfast make you amazing? it's laughs over a coastal soup and grilled shrimp salad. catching up over wood-grilled shrimp and chicken. and with lunches starting at just $6.99... it's an hour you wouldn't trade for anything.

when something's safe? you talk to these guys. they go through every car and truck we make with a big fat red pencil. because they know a family's going to be inside. a teenager. a guy on the way to the job. the engineers of chevrolet. just another reason why we can offer a 5-year 100,000 mile powertrain warranty. and another reason why a chevy's a chevy. time now for a quick check in with willard scott who's in washington, d.c. this morning. >> this will make you feel old. bozo is 50 years old today. and we have a wonderful book "the man behind the nose" it's just been released. you can pick up a copy. happy birthday from schmuckers.

take a look at fern fentiman, 110. she's a big baseball fan who never misses games, watches, i guess espn, cbs and nbc, abc. don't take your love to town. ruby levine, of beachwood, ohio. still drives to play golf. secret of longevity, having good luck and a sense of humor. can't beat the combination, god bless. ruth hagan, 101, lives independently d played golf until she was 95 years old and very, very loved in her neighborhood. paul peck, take a look at paul,

myersdale, pennsylvania, 100 years old. attributes his longevity to hard work and having a lady friend. agnes jackson, anaheim, california, 100, active member of the white sweater gang, she knits sweaters and knits hats. amy barnhart, from springfield, missouri. 102. second time she's tried to get on the show. she loves to hula dance. that's it and that's all for right now. bozo sends his love to matt. >> all right, willard, we love you too, and thank you so much. and coming up we'll be checking in with our wedding couple.tl

>> after your local news and weather. good morning to you. it's 8:26. an update. we have new information on the bizarre crime spree connected to one east bay man. nbc bay area's kris sanchez live in vallejo where law enforcement is searching a storage facility. kris? >> reporter: good morning to you, laura. i just talked to a police officer who wouldn't say how this storage unit is connected to the alleged crime spree, only that they needed to remove something that was unsafe. we know they arrived early this morning. neighbors say they saw the bomb squad here for about two hours. they also found the bodies of two missing women inside the

home belonging to one of them and that her husband was taken into custody. still missing is the man. he is accused of beating his father to death. the suspect was ultimately killed by officers after a high-speed case and a foot chase at air supermarket in richmond. last night his girlfriend was found strangled and beaten in the car as well. >> thank you very much, kris. t' i278:. your weather forecast after this. 8:

welcome back. get ready for another hot day. 90s inland. san jose, mid-90s. even san francisco and oakland, soaring into the 80s. some low 90s possible even around the inner bay. 70s on the coast. tomorrow looks plenty hot as well. as we head towards the weekend, we start to cool down. laura? more local news in half an hour. "today" show returns in less than a minute. have a good morning.

it's 8:30 now on wednesday morning, the first day of september, 2010, bright and sunny here in the northeast. squeezing the last few days out of summer. thank you to these people for stopping by and sharing part of their morning with us, we appreciate that. out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer, meredith is taking some time off and natalee morales back from assignment.

glad to have you back. >> thank you. >> you haven't met melissa, have you? >> our wedding couple? >> we introduced you to our wedding couple, the couple you picked to get married here on our plaza on september 30. and we should mention that jeremy is also part of that couple, but he's still serving in afghanistan, he won't be home until next week, just in time for the wedding. but coming up this morning, we're going to tell mel police spolice -- melissa and jeremy what wedding bands you have chosen for them to wear for the rest of their lives. do you guys know what bull gar wheat or kimar are? these are whole grains people should think about. we'll have some easy delicious

recipes that you can use them for, they are very good for your health, they have more protein in them than regular grains. >> you know what he was making there? pizza. also coming 7, we're going to get a visit with some rare animals and tell you why they're actually becoming a lot more rare these days. something we all need to think about. >> they're cute, but you're also kind of scared of them. al roker out on the outer banks of north carolina, he is tracking hurricane earl. al, good morning again. >> reporter: and again as we mentioned, ocrocoke island and hatteras island under mandatory evacuations here in advance of earl. we know that it's going to move through here pretty quickly, it should be out of here in time for at least late saturday. but as we look at the week ahead, we have got sunshine

basically along the eastern seaboard, on northern new england and parts of the great lakes, wet weather in the pacific northwest, the heat continues, mid-atlantic and into the ohio valley, sizzling in the southwest. sunday, sunday, sunny and cool in the northeast, and we have got some showers again around the eastern great lakes, showers around the eastern plains. showers and thundershowers down into the southwest. we're looking at a lot of sunshine and heat in the gulf coast it's a beautiful view looking back to san francisco. we don't have anything in the way of low clouds getting in the way of the view this morning. and for this afternoon, 80s and low 90s around the inner bay. should be in the low to mid-90s, upper 90s possible inland around the delta and tri-valley. tomorrow with a warmer start looks even hotter. then we'll start to see cooling on the coast friday. then all areas start to cool for the weekend. back to 70s and 80s inland for labor day weekend.

60s on the beaches beginning saturday. >> and don't fergs, forget, you can check your weather any time on the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. >> all right, al, thank you very much. we appreciate it. and on "today's" modern love, we're talking about the wedding bands, you have picked melissa and jeremy to get married on our plaza on september 30. then we put you right to work on the wedding bands. this morning we have got the results, our bride is melissa mcmillan, our groom is jeremy again hart. let me remind people the choices were brilliant earth, neil lane,

diamonds for a cure, and asmray. are you ready to find out, melissa and jeremy? >> all right, drumroll, please. open the box, and it is the new lane. this ring, jeremy, i know you can't see, it's made by a well known jeweler based in los angeles and his rings are worn by some of the most beautiful women in the world, including angelina jolie and also elizabeth taylor and now your wife, jeremy, melissa is going to have one of these rings. >> you can try it on. they're beautiful. >> it's beautiful. >> oh, look, i don't know if you can see this jeremy, but this is the ring next to the one you gave her for her engagement. i think the viewers made an

exc excellent choice. >> it's beautiful, it's the one i was hoping for. it's beautiful. >> show me a picture of yours, what do you think? >> can we hear us? >> i think they're beautiful. i think they're going to look great with her engagement ring. this is amazing. wow. >> there's a big delay between here and bagram. and here's the ring you're going to be wearing, melissa, hold that, it's a beautiful ring as well. >> i like the lines on that. >> oh, my gosh. >> so pretty. >> jeremy, hurry up and get home, i know you're going to be here at the end of next week, and we will see you on the plaza. and we'll put you to work as we're talking about the locations for a reception. >> one of those choices is going to be for you and your wedding. how exciting is this? >> back in a moment, this is

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today's wedding modern love is brought to you by chevy. this morning on "today's" wedding, modern love, the reception venue, once melissa and jeremy have exchanged vows and rings, it will be time for the party. you will pick where that's going to happen. we have a wedding planner who's helped us develop our choices. he's here alongside our bride and we have got joining us again live, jeremy again hart and he's on duty by the way as we have been mentioning in afghanistan. so what should you be thinking about when you think about where to have a reception ".

>> the most important thing with the venues, it dictates so many things, how many people you can have, when you can have it. you want to make sure that you can have it indoors and outdoors, and you can take care of the weather. it needs to be a place that speaks to you, it needs to be a place that will allow you to put as much of yourself into it. >> so you considered this couple and you chose among your three choices, one of the choices is hudson terrace? >> yes. >> which is a venue, a place where people have parties and weddings and things like that? >> it's downtown, it's young, it's hip, it's chic and friendly and it's right across from the intrep intrepid. >> and you can see a lot from those windows, including the intrepid and from the roof deck and there's so many things to look at. >> it gives you a great view of the indoors and a great view of the outdoors.

and it's got retractable ceilings so in one of the possible locations for a wedding is we're looking for something that was edgy, young and doubt. -- downtown. the great part about this location, is not only you can have the outdoors and this wonderful deck, but the magnificent view of the hudson right behind me. the first thing i'm going to do is remove all of this furniture and work with scare table tops with ten guests seated at each table. and for the dancing, we're going downstairs. after they cut the wedding case, the bridle party gets to come down to the den.